Study Finds Seniors Take Longer to Recover from Car Crash Injuries

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Car Accidents

A recent study reveals that seniors who are injured in motor vehicle accidents often take longer to recover than accident victims who are younger. The potential of a longer recovery period – including lost wages and additional medical care – is something that will also need to be considered when dealing with insurance settlements or personal injury lawsuits.

The study, called Older Adult CRASH, was conducted by physicians from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Department of Emergency Medicine. There were 161 study participants, aged 65 years or older, who had received injuries in a vehicle crash that necessitated a trip to the emergency room but did not require hospitalization. Injuries which were not included in the study were brain or spine injuries, fractures, or major lacerations.

Each study participant went through an initial interview at the time of their emergency room visit. They were also interviewed six weeks after the accident, six months, and then for the last time at the one-year mark. These follow-up interviews were conducted by either phone or mail.

Participants were asked to rate their overall pain level on a scale of one to 10. They were also asked to rate their pain level on specific body parts. For the purpose of the study, those participants who were still rating their pain at a level of four, or higher, six months after the accident, were classified as having persistent pain.

The accident victims were also asked to rate how well they were able to handle daily tasks and functions, such as climbing stairs or carrying in the groceries.

In the initial emergency room interview, 72 percent of accident victims complained of moderate to severe pain. The study found that after six months, one in four of those injured were still suffering from moderate to severe pain from the injuries sustained in the crash. The most common areas of chronic pain were the head, jaw, neck, lower back, or legs.

Many participants also complained that this chronic pain had negatively affected their daily activities, and they often needed to alter their living situations in order to receive the help they needed.

There have been other studies conducted which have shown that chronic pain in seniors can also create other risks, such as increasing their chance of falls and decreasing their cognitive performance.

If you have been injured in an auto accident, it is important you speak with an experienced Lake County personal injury attorney. Contact the law firm of Salvi & Maher, L.L.C. at 847-662-3303 today to schedule a consultation.

Sources:

https://www.med.unc.edu/anesthesiology/research/tryumph-research-group/tryumph-studies/older-adult-project-crash

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-crash-pain-elderly-idUSKCN0PA2RO20150630

http://newsroom.acep.org/index.php?s=20295&item=122695